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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Smoking and the LGBT Community

A recent PSA has been getting a bit of attention recently.

Go ahead, watch it. It's 60 seconds.

Those stats are shocking... but they are true. In fact...

A recent report in the American Journal of Public Health that analyzed nationally representative survey results found that LGBT adults smoke cigarettes at rates that are nearly 70 percent higher than the general population. It is estimated that LGBT adults are 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely to smoke than heterosexual adults. (Source)
Some more disquieting facts?

In May the national public health nonprofit Legacy, located in Washington, D.C., released a report that found LGB young adults ages 18 to 34 also smoke at disproportionately high rates compared to their heterosexual counterparts.

The study found higher rates of current tobacco use for homosexual young adults (35 percent) and bisexual young adults (31 percent) compared with heterosexual young adults (22 percent).

While there are a lot of theories about the "why" the LGBT community is smoking more than the straight community, no one has a clear answer.

The above PSA is part of a current campaign to help the LGBT community kick the habit by highlighting the fact that tobacco kills more people than HIV, illegal drugs, car accidents, alcohol, and suicide combined.

As the PSA says, we need to protect each other.

The Fresno LGBT Community Center has information and resources to help you quit smoking. Call 559-325-4429, drop by, or send an email to Leon at leon@gaycentralvalley.org for help.